Does First Student pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, First Student employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at First Student. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at First Student?

69% of First Student employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Student 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Student?

School Bus Driver (493) , Graduate Student (365) , Software Engineer (195) , Bus Driver (165) , Driver (125) , Student Worker (67) , Data Entry (63) , Software Developer (59) , Internship (51) , Working Student (45) , Intern (43) , PhD Student (33) , Web Developer (30) , Bus Monitor (25) , Mechanical Engineer (25)

What are the pros of working at First Student according to real employee reviews?

"Pay was good and it was consistent" ((in 163 reviews)); "Worth ethics is good and people are supporting" ((in 111 reviews)); "Nice working place and good environment" ((in 61 reviews)); "Free training for a CDL." ((in 49 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 37 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Student according to real employee reviews?

"Bad management but now its good" ((in 111 reviews)); "Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefitNot enough hour No benefit" ((in 80 reviews)); "Low salary and no retaining of interns" ((in 78 reviews)); "Long hours and boring work" ((in 55 reviews)); "Very difficult company to work for umess you have a good manager." ((in 25 reviews))

What are employees saying about First Student layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about First Student layoffs and their outlook for job security at First Student in 2026.

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First Student

First Student reviews

3.7

69% would recommend to a friend

(3,733 total reviews)

John Kenning

72% approve of CEO

65% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.5

Culture & values

3.5

Career opportunities

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.3

Senior management

First Student has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 3,733 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Student employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transporte y logística industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

1.0

Sep 13, 2013

First Student management from the top to most Contract Managers are too much into micromanagement.

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Co workers are great. Driving can be fun when left alone. Pay is good - top rate in our terminal is 22.50/hr. Some minor benefits. They are cheap!

Cons

1. Management 2. Management 3. Management and so on. We have a Union shop - Teamsters Local 384 - and I can not imagine what they get away with without a Union. Last two managers have proven to be real duds. It is always do it this way or get fired. They have paid Thousands in back pay over unlawful firings when some honest communications would have worked.

2.0

Jul 24, 2013

To do this job you must love kids.

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great job for single mothers, offers decent pay depending on your area and secure employment.

Cons

seniority means little if anything

2.0

Jan 10, 2013

Needs much improvement on the upper management side

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great co-workers who really care about each other," like family" work environment, relaxed dress code, team work valued. Get free training to obtain CDL-B license plus work experience.

Cons

Pays a lot less than other local districts that have their own bus fleets, monthly union dues increase frequently but pay and benefits do not improve, buses sometimes have safety defects that are not repaired or replaced on a timely basis, two way radio communication is constantly compromised by out-of-date/defective radios which causes operators/dispatchers/parents/administrators a lot of unecessary stress. Very high employee turnover due to these issues. As much as it costs to train new drivers why don't they just increase drivers' pay to retain them?

Viewing 259 - 261 of 3,733 Reviews

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